Analysis of THE SILENCE OF A LAMB
JP. 1948 (United Kingdom)
THE SILENCE OF A LAMB
No don’t get up I can see from here
The edge of the bushes is quite clear
There are no wolves or savage beasts
To the point where land and sky still meets
No don’t you stir just eat your grass
Under this ceiling of clear blue glass
Which one is dad you did not say?
I would like to meet him one fine day
Now keep quite still because I think I see
That one with the horns is looking at me
I know its odd but I could swear
I’ve seen him before but can’t think where
No don’t you stir he is coming this way
Play hard to get that is surely the way
Well he stopped over there by sixty-four
I thought he’d come here but I was not sure
Ok, so you’re up and looking for grass
And chewing the cud, well it does not say class
Still he’s coming this way just you wait and see
Perhaps he’s remembered where he last saw me
Oh look now he’s gone to lie down in the shade
Well he might be tired with that journey he made
So maybe tomorrow do you think he will come?
As we eat all this grass made lush by the sun
Oh, I wish you’d be quiet you are just a young lamb
He has no time for us now that busy old ram
But I think that he might have recognised you
Though he cannot remember the face of each ewe
Now come along dear eat your grass and grow up
Or you will never become a black-faced old tup
And barren you’ll stand as the rams pass you by
Culled out at the shearing by a shepherds sharp eye
So just eat the grass it is all you can do
And when this field is bare of all you can chew
There’s another next door with a stream and a tree
If you stood on my back well then you might see
But what’s it all for asked the lamb in discourse
As the tup handed down the tale of mint sauce
And now it eats grass just as fast as it can
In the silence surrounding this new years spring lamb
Scheme | A XXXXBBCC DDEECCXX BBDDFFXX AAGGHHII GGDDXXXA |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 010101 111111111 011010111 11111101 101110111 11111111 101101111 11111111 111111111 1111011111 1110111011 11111111 111011111 1111111011 1111111001 1111011101 1111111111 1111101011 01001111111 11101111101 01101011111 11111111001 111110111011 11001111111 11111111101 1111110111011 111111111011 111111111 111001001111 11011111011 111100101111 01011101111 111010101011 11101111111 01111111111 101011101001 11111111111 10111101010 10110101111 01111111111 001001011111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,779 |
Words | 380 |
Sentences | 3 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 41 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 9 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 231 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 63 |
Font size:
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"THE SILENCE OF A LAMB" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/103416/the-silence-of-a-lamb>.
Discuss this JP. poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In